Former Belgium international Franky Van der Elst believes Liverpool defender Virgil van Dijk should have been sent off for his tackle on Napoli forward Dries Mertens on Tuesday night, despite admitting that it was not a deliberate foul.
Liverpool’s 1-0 win over Napoli at Anfield on Tuesday night got them through to the last 16 of the Champions League and knocked the Serie A giants out of the competition.
However, the referee made a contentious decision when he adjudicated that Van Dijk did not commit a foul while tackling Mertens and he appeared to have got the ball.
But the decision caused uproar amongst some Napoli fans as the Dutchman went studs up and caught the forward’s ankle, which could have led to a serious injury.
Van der Elst admits that there was no malice to Van Dijk’s challenge and he got the ball cleanly, but insisted that it was still a dangerous tackle as Mertens’ ankle could have easily snapped.
He is of the opinion that the Liverpool defender should have received his marching orders due to the dangerous nature of the challenge.
“It’s was a pure tackle on the ball and it was razor-sharp”, the former Belgium midfielder said following the game on Proximus Sports.
“But his leg eventually goes too far and ultimately Mertens has been incredibly lucky [not to be injured].
“It was not a deliberate offence, but it was a foul.
“An attack would be an exaggeration, but it is a red, because his ankle could have been broken.”
Van Dijk has defended himself and insisted that he got the ball cleanly and there was no foul.
